Argentina has booked their ticket to Paris.
The Argentina national men's U-23 team secured a place in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with a 1-0 victory over Brazil on Sunday. Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada was in the starting XI and named captain.
Almada has had a tremendous tournament for La Albiceleste. The MLS Young Player of the Year finished the tournament as the top scorer with five goals. In the group stage match against Chile, Almada alone scored two goals and added an assist.
Paraguay also qualified out of the CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament. Sunday's result means Brazil, the defending gold medalists, did not qualify for the Olympics.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is scheduled to run from July 26-August 11. Argentina is looking to get back to the medal stage this summer. The nation won back-to-back gold medals in 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing.
Olympic rosters will consist of players under the age of 23, like the pre-Olympic tournament, with three "overage" players allowed, so there's a chance both Lionel Messi and Almada could be selected to play in Paris. Both players were part of the senior men's national team for Argentina that won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Almada became the first active MLS player to win the FIFA World Cup.
Now, Argentina and Almada have a chance to go for gold in Paris as well.
¡Felicidades a nuestro Guayo! Tu familia en Atlanta está muy orgullosa de ti ⭐ 🇦🇷
